Rhetorical Analysis Of Steve Jobs Speech

Steve Job’s commencement speech in 2005 at Stanford University, which is one of the best university in our country was very memorable and inspiring for Stanford graduates and also for audience listening to speech. In his speech, Jobs inspires students and audience to pursue their dreams and always to follow their heart no matter what even though things don’t always go according to plan and never give up. Steve Job is mainly known for his contributions in the technological world but along with that he is also recognized for his world-renowned presentations. Jobs’ simplicity in delivery and extensive use of rhetoric makes his speech effective and comparable to speeches of famous narrators. In this commencement speech, Jobs uses simplicity in the structure of his speech along with the use of rhetoric such as ethos and pathos besides usage of personal stories to make this speech effective in inspiring his audience and making it memorable.

In this paper I am going to discuss the rhetorical appeals, as well as the argumentative structure, audience and purpose set forth by George W. Bush in his September 27 speech in Flagstaff, Arizona. More specifically I will refer to the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos and logos, and explain how they are used to gain the support and attention of the audience and further the further the purpose of the speech. As I explain these appeals I will also give an insight into the argumentative structure and why it is apparent in this particular speech.

Plato, a great philosopher, once said “rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men” (Plato). He accentuates the importance of rhetoric in persuading the audience to support a cause or take action. In his speech addressed at the 50th anniversary of Selma march, President Barack Obama uses rhetoric to persuade his audience, Americans as a whole, to discourage racism in the United States. President Obama appeals to the rhetorical strategies, uses rhetorical devices, and applies a presentation style; which make his speech effective in terms of rhetoric.

Steve Jobs, a businessman in Silicon Valley, gave the Stanford Commencement Address in 2005. Rhetorical tools are used to persuade the audience. Ethos deals with the speaker's credibility, Pathos appeals to emotion and Logos appeals to logic. Steve Jobs’ successfully used the rhetorical tools Ethos, Pathos, and Logos throughout his speech.

There are stories he incorporates to illustrate the point. In the middle we move to a more self-centered narrative. He tells of his story in New Jersey where he realized he could kill someone. He shares some of his thoughts of why people acted as they did towards him and others. This is an effective way he uses narrating and analyzing to work for the reader’s understanding.

The speech is more or less a positive reflection on the Founder’s life that tends to leave out any challenges. Or even evidence of perseverance through challenges, which would have seemed to give him ethos with his audience. The Narrator has been made to

He writes his story not to scoff, scold or scorch, but to spark discussion and help people see the simple truth that "Human interaction is a blessing." lives with prejudicial barriers.

It is a speech that has a material presence in the modern day where leaders like John F. Kennedy among others have quoted it urging their countrymen to overcome challenges and soldier ahead despite the prevailing circumstances. A lot of inspiration has been drawn from the speeches made by Henry V.

Graduates, family members, friends, and college faculty all know what it’s like to fail on some level. This message though is directed towards the graduating class. They are the ones with the most ahead of them in life. Jobs then argues that its up to us to learn from those mistakes and failures and turn them into something positive. “[I]t turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. [...] It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.” If someone as successful as Jobs fails publicly and is able to realize it’s a good thing, anyone can turn any failure into a positive. Jobs is using is ethos here to tell the audience that there is no failure that is too big. He connects to the feelings of the audience and tells them that that feeling of failure isn’t the end, it’s a new beginning.

Great authors portray their ideas in multiple ways to reach out their message to the present audience. As Tim Urban in his Ted Talk ¨Inside the mind of a master procrastinator¨ he discussed what the thinking behind procrastination leads to through his own experiences, presenting in a way to make the audience laugh, and to convince them that everyone procrastinates in life. Any great writer incorporates ethos, pathos and logos within their writing, speech or even presentation. Tim did an excellent job portraying to his audience these rhetorical strategies which earn him the right to be listened to respectively.

Famous actors, musicians, politicians, artists and authors are often called upon to deliver commencement addresses at prestigious places of higher learning. It doesn't take Nobel-Prize-winning social scientists or psychologists, or speech professors to predict what these elite guest speakers will say on such occasions such as these. The speaker will tell the graduating class to aim high, never give up, make the most of opportunities, and do as our forbearers did: pull yourselves up by the bootstraps. But when Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks showed up at Vassar College to present the commencement address, his presentation avoided those clichés and platitudes. Hanks was refreshing original and yet remarkably pragmatic. This paper critiques Hanks' themes, examines his rhetorical techniques, and editorially analyzes his purpose.

Predict: I think the text is about a speech Steve Jobs gave to college students who are graduating.

The renowned author expresses his goal in writing by saying “You see, I am trying in all my stories to get the feeling of the actual life across - not to just depict life - or criticize it - but to actually make it

He writes in a language, and he uses a lot of metaphorical features. We as readers are very confused about the way he has chosen to describe the story, but we are also very fascinated by the action. So whole this short story tells us that he has had a tragic life and how he helps others achieve a good life and you can say here that he has a good point.

There are three elements in every great speech which is content, structure, and delivery. Speakers such as Martin Luther King and his “I have a dream speech” and President Nixon have been stated to have mastered the art of public speaking which involves these key points. I had the opportunity to critique two speakers on their ability to speak in public as well as on the basis of content, structure, and delivery.